The Dictator's Wife: A mesmerising novel of deception and BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club pick

Product Information

Over the course of Ceausescu's rule, Nicolae and Elena constructed a personality cult around themselves, which in many ways paralleled those of Mao, Stalin, and Hitler. This cult positioned Elena as the doyen of the European scientific community and as an academic powerhouse whose publications and international recognition were the result of sustained hard work. To the broader wo The beautiful, enigmatic wife of a feared dictator stands trial for her late husband's crimes against the people. The world will finally know the truth. But whose?

She isn’t a person, she’s a puppeteer. She discovers what you are, what you can and cannot bear, and uses it.’ Through the eyes of another, we are offered a window on the titular character. And those eyes may not be the most reliable, even if she is a lawyer. Laura bookends her own narrative by attending the funeral of Marija Popa, once wife of a dictator, both vilified and adored in her own right, a contentious public figure that Laura herself had dealings with earlier in her life.Elena's PhD in chemistry was based on a thesis defense that never occurred. Indeed, there was nothing to present.

What unfolds is more about the cult of personality that has been carefully crafted and controlled over the years by Marija. This doesn't necessarily mean she is guilty of any of the crimes she has been charged with, as finding proof of any crime is near on impossible. What a surprise. But Laura knows the shiny glib surface hides many many secrets, and she is determined to find out what tragedy or horror happened to her parents, particularly her mother that changed the essence of her small family. So this story is primarily about Laura, her motivations, her actions, her interactions with Marija. Much about Marija unfolds during the course of the story, but she is not the primary focus. If you want to look at the influence of a first lady’s style, look no further than Vogue, says Berry, , pointing to the image-making moment of Jill Biden’s first cover on the high fashion magazine. The 70-year-old is seen smiling, wearing a floral-patterned blue dress, leaning against a White House balcony – a wholesome contrast to Melania Trump’s opulent couture. Compelling, atmospheric. It’s BRILLIANT’MARIAN KEYES, Sunday Times bestselling author of Again, Rachel I know the phrase “will have you reading long into the night” gets thrown about an awful lot, but it is completely true for this book.

Review

A fascinating exploration of absolute power, female agency and the complexities of complicity. Atmospheric, claustrophobic and so elegantly written' ELLERY LLOYD, New York Times bestselling author of The Club It is an intriguing prism through which to consider Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model who came to America married Donald Trump in 2005. With his election a decade later, she became only the second foreign-born first lady in American history – and one of the most divisive. Her second novel, The Birdcage Library, is out now: an adventuress discovers an old book containing clues about the disappearance of a woman who vanished 50 years before. Set between a Scottish castle in the 1930s and an exotic animal emporium in Gilded Age New York, it's a twisting Gothic tale of secrets, obsession and murder. Oh, and taxidermy. Behr, Edward. Kiss the Hand You Cannot Bite: The Rise and Fall of the Ceausescus. Edited by P. Gethers, Villard Books, 1991. Demands to be devoured in one sitting. S umptuously written... One of the most compelling literary debuts of the year ' GLAMOUR